IV.

Greenwights

Sacred Plants

124-64

p. 126

"traditional practitioners ... tout sacred plants as the ultimate spiritual experience, the means by which the human mind is opened fully to the reality of the life and the Universe. ...

{However necessary such plants as iboga (in Gabone), ayahuasca (in the Amazon basin), San Pedro cactus (in the Andes mountains), and the like psychedelic plants, may be needed to commence waking visionary experience, yer nevertheless the waking-state limitation must exclude one from having a functioning subtle-body in such visits to the Otherworlds, so that one cannot well interact with any divine entities viewed thereby. For effective interaction, one must graduate to dreaming-state explorations, which after adequate experience (with entheogenic plants or otherwise) can be conducted with little or no further ingestion of such plants.}

p. 127

While I make use of many ways ... (... drumming, sex, meditation, ... trance-possession ...), the mental state I arrive at by using the sacred plants gives me access to a particular set of Mysteries that is best".

{Yea, so long as one remaineth limited to waking-state activities, the psychedelic/entheogenic "sacred plants" are usually a necessity. But Siberian (and AmerIndian) shamans of some expertise in dream-work, do manage to conduct quite impressive public rituals of similar sorts even without assistance from such plants.}

p. 127

"If you are called to work with a plant that is not legal, ...

p. 128

having a good relationship with an illegal plant-spirit might well keep you safe from prying eyes {of police-detectives}."

{And moreover, having a sufficiently intimate relationship with such plant-spirit may even rendre possible visitations to divine realms without even further ingesting of the material plant.}

p. 128

pointed out by "one plant-shaman" : "spirits of entheogenic plants ... 'command' or 'compel' ... and should be approached with ... courtesy ... ."

p. 130

by L.H. : "I actually took half a year to court the Salvia spirit. ... I courted Datura for years."

{The appropriate way of courting any plant-spirit is to grow that plant from seed (or from spore, in the case of fungus); and while growing it to tend it (watering, etc.) personally, talking to it with the expectation that its spirit will hear and understand. After the plant-spirit shall have begun appearing in one's dreams (which will be after the grown plant shall have reached maturity), then one will be able to commence cultivating a mutual relationship.}

"I usually make a little mobile, with ... the plant's active ingredient, and dangle it from my ceiling. ... They become power objects through which I can call that plant spirit."

{This will be of little avail. One could, instead, dangle from one's ceiling (or more likely, from one's window-curtain-rod) an actual growing plant of the species; as many persons do who nurture house-plants. In such case, the plant-spirit may be delighted by the plant's being suspended, and and may more readily allow itself to be called on by the mortal tending that plant.}}

"It may just be plain impractical; not everyone has the space for a Brugmansia to grow to full height, or the ability to care for plants sensitive to climate conditions".

{In such circumstances, one may nevertheless obtain some slight acquaintance with the plant-spirit by asking to be introduced formally to that plant-spirit by a mystic herbalist who is growing it and is already meeting with it in dreams. To be effective, the introduction ought to be conducted in a mutual dream shared by all three parties.}

p. 131

"Knowing the magical uses is a clue to a spirit's personality and may be the first step in getting to know a spirit. ...

p. 132

Our knowledge ... should ... include knowing how to work with the spiritual power that exists ... . ...

Brugmansia and Datura are known to induce trance states just from their presence alone;

{True. This effect hath been noticed by other herbalists.}

this is something I have personally experienced ... . ...

Skilled herbal magic involves being able to get a sense of the spirit of an herb".

[by L.H. :] "Grow the plant yourself, even if you can only do it in a pot on the windowsill. ... So grow it, then start to enter into communication ... with the plant entity, the plant spirit. Maybe you stroke the plant. ... Commune with the plant, ... invite it. Hold your hands over the leaves ..., and see how your hands tingle ... and feel weird, without even touching the plant. ... When I courted Datura, I first went to the local nursery and went to the angel-trumpet section, and held my hands over it there, and asked if I should bring her home."

[by A., spa`-madr :] "I talk to my plants all the time. ... . ... I gain the right to even begin to approach them for their wisdom by sharing my home with them, feeding them, watering them, and generally treating them like an honored guest."

p. 134

"A plant, like any being, is made up of more than one body. ... Its spirit is tied to its body by the same mechanics that attaches our own spiritual counterparts to our bodies; the spiritual body of a plant is generally local to the physical body, though like us it has the option of

moving some part {aspect} of their spiritual force {or rather, praesence} around (we call this astral projecting ...) or appearing in remote locations.

{Cf. "the legendary Amazonian tree Noiya Rao, also known in Spanish as Palo Volador (the flying tree).

The ... Shipibo Maestro ... claims that being able to receive and work with the spirit of this tree is all that is needed to become a healer." ("MM&PA")}

This mobile spirit body can take any number of forms depending on the plant's desire ... .

{These forms (bodies) include the astral, mental, causal, et al.}

This form may be a copy of the physical body, a human shape of some description, another kind of creature, ore something abstract like fields of color.

Aside from individual spirits local to their bodies, entire species of plants have what I refer to as "Grandparent" spirits ... . These spirits rule over all the plant-children in their care, and the

p. 135

Grandparent keeps track of each one; it is these spirits that you will be likely communicating with ... most in your work with entheogens. ... In my experience, the Grandparent spirits have always appeared in more or less human (bipedal) forms. ... The Grandparents are teachers and give their permission to use their plants in your work. ...

Queen Toloache, Datura's ruling spirit, has no patience for those who trespass on her spiritual territory ... .

{It would be an impudent trepass to be eating any, though to apply a little of the sap to one's skin may be barely permissible.}

The Queen behind Salvia divinorum is particular, revealing herself to some people while ignoring others altogether.

Other spirits, like Grandmother Marijuana, have more tolerant attitudes toward abusers {smoking it would be abuse, eating it perhaps tolerable} or even a measure of twisted affection. ...

Part of why being experienced in trance states is so important ... is that ... you're largely at the whim of the spirit ... . ... Many herbs have the ability to call forward hidden emotions {even spices can do this}

p. 136

... . A person' attitude and emotional state are important factors when engaging in entheogenic work ... . ...

{Devout piety toward the divine plant-spirit is needed; and a philosophical attitude of optimism toward the supernatural governance of the universe in general, with an acceptance of occultism's schemes of planes-of-existence, etc.}

Plants are connected throughout almost all the Worlds; wherever {in whatever divine World} plants are found, they have some {occult} power. This far-reaching perspective is useful ... if you are allowed to become familiar with the plant network; the spirits are often close to the Threads [of Wyrd] as well, and being familiar with one will help bring about an understanding of the other. This network communicates behind-the-scenes ... of the Worlds accessible when Journeying. Some plants have recognizable counterparts on other Worlds, some [Otherworld-plants] only outwardly resemble familiar {material-plane} plants. The plant Grandparents are more universal and having their attention through your work with them often gives you an in{ner advantage} when you encounter plants and plants spirits in other Worlds. As on Midgard, the small local spirits of plants will be looked after by the larger spirits of place -- mountain spirits, valley spirits, patrolling land spirits, and others. When you seek to get to know these Otherworld plant spirits, be sure to introduce yourself to the spirit of the place ... and ask ... permission. Courtesy is ... universal".

"First, talk to the land-wight. Make sure you have its permission ..., and if you don't get permission, don't go any further. If the land-wight accepts ..., the next ... should be ... to the overarching plant spirit, asking it also for permission ... . ... Tell them who you are, and what you intend to do".

"There are also ways to use entheogens without ingesting them. ... Simply sitting with the plant and breathing with it, or putting your hands near it, exchanging energy ...; that can be quite effective, especially if you do it with a big strong plant, like an enormous Angel's Trumpet. ...

Same thing with sleeping under a Yew tree. The oils will send you somewhere ...

{It is implied that the material oils are connected with a spirit-substance which will serve as a vehicle for conveying one into a relevant divine Otherworld in one's dreaming-state.}

If you grow them yourself, you can commune with them. ... Your chances of talking to the plant spirit with the actual plant are much, much higher."

p. 138

"The first time you use an entheogen will be the most formative ... . This first time ... the spirit may have conditions for you to agree to if you wish {that} ... the spirits ...

hold back a measure of the plant's poison

{restrain it from nauseating or otherwise disturbing the ingester}

once an understanding {contractual agreement between plant-spirit and human ingester} has been reached ... .

p. 139

... . ... how much of any herb to take {ingest} ... That's for you to learn from ... working with the plant spirit in question. The dose needed to create an altered state may be surprisingly small ... . Having spent time getting to know the spirit and its power now pays off and the entheogenic power of an herb works on more than just your physical body. ...

p. 140

Spiritual emergencies such as losing bits of yourself {soul-functions} or having trouble coming fully back to your body can also arise during entheogen work. Someone who ... is experienced in this sort of care is also very helpful. ...

p. 141

I've spent more plant trance sessions learning from them then {than} I have spent doing anything else. Again, this will vary from ... herb to herb; some plant spirits have a great deal to say and desire your undivided attention while they speak".

"Keep in mind that ingesting something ...

p. 142

is more penetrative and more violating than any sex act ... . ...

Knowing how to recover from an entheogenic trance is just as important as knowing how to go into one. ... It's a very sacred time".

p. 143

"Those who work with the spirits of medicinal herbs may find that they can no longer use a herb to heal themselves unless they have devloped a hands-on relationship with the "grandparent spirit" of that herb."

p. 144

[by J.M. :] "The same attention to building a relationship with the spirit will need to be given each time, though each plant ... will likely expect different things from you."

"I'm now in a state where how I see physically with my eyes is sort an extra 3-D; the {praeternatural energy-}trails and all the rest of it. ...

{That which is seen of praeternatural layers-of-existence situated relative to the material plane, is not actually seen by the material eyen, but by other eyen (such as, eyen of the astral body), which are however located in the same place as the material eyen (so long as the astral body remained located in the material body, and is not projected out of the material body).}

But I'm that way all the time. It's now permanent. ...

{As explained in The Pathwalker's Guide to the Nine Worlds (pp. 48-51), this status is not actually maintained literally "all the time", because it would be inconvenient to cope "all the time" with multiple worlds simultaneously. But is can be, and is, entred into, at will, temporarily (for hours continuously) whenever commanded by one's patron-deity.}

Now, though, when that {entheogenic plant} is taken, it's a completely different experience.

So, ... giving you a glimpse into the other dimension or another world ... Finding answers to questions, particularly divine ones; mushrooms {teo-nanacatl} are good for that. ... Something that often spontaneously happens is to get shown the workings of the world, the mechanisms behind how the big picture works."

p. 146

[by L.H.] "Some spirit-workers will take the {psychedelic} plant; others will give it to their patient, because some of them {psychedelics} really open up people's {psychic} energy. I have also had the experience of having another

p. 147

person take marijuana, and then it's much easier to install {psychic} energy mod[ule]s into them, because it opens them right up. It helps to get them into that ... enhanced energy-empathy between people. ... And that's quite weird for people, because they'll have this hugely more hallucinogenic trip, because you're catalyzing their experience, and you're amping up the power level. So I would use this ... to take some of their filters away and increase the gain on their microphones, so to speak. ...

An experienced shaman who isn't even ingesting the {psychedelic} plant matter can work with the presence of the spirit when they show up. To use it this way, you might feed it to your assistant, and the plant spirit would show up and you could ask them {assistant-cum-spirit?} questions, and the assistant would speak the answers as a medium."

p. 148

[by J.M.] "Entheogens can be used by the practitioner alone, by the practitioner and participants, or by the participants alone. ...

One person may have a dream that changes their {his or her} life, thus altering their reality; how that importance is accepted by others depends on the value they place on the validity of the intangible".

p. 149

"When a spirit-worker has a relationship with a herb and its Grandparent, they {he or she} can ask the greenwight to aim and concentrate the effects of that plant so as to facilitate better healing.

This is something that will be covered in more depth in the next two books of this series,

The Northern-Tradition Herbal and

Mapping The Hollow World : Northern-Tradition Shamanic Healing."

[by L.H.] "with marijuana, it just expands your consciousness so that {with the help of its patron-spirit} you can move chi around your body in ways that are healing.

With {teo-nanacatl} mushrooms its out finding out {from the mushroom-spirit} what you need to heal, and

with Salvia divinorum the plant{-spirit} itself does the healing. ... .

p. 150

... the Salvia ... fixes things itself. ... .

... Ch>i-Gong-style healing ... can accentuate its effect with marijuana".

"While the spirit of the Coca plant may manifest through {the drug popularly called} crack, it's not the same face that it wears when you chew the leaf."

"There's a whole story about Datura where ... if she comes toward you with both sides of her face, straight on, then you'll be in for a challenge to try to master her.

But ... I don't think that you master the plant spirits. ... Nobody masters the spirits. You master yourself vis-a[']-vis them.

With Salvia divinorum, some people experience themselves as "Eek! I'm a walking plant!""

p. 152

"Entheogens ... make visionary experiences possible for many people ... . You may speak to spirits or see the world from a fantastic new perspective, or maybe you'll have profound spiritual experiences ... towards enlightenment ... . Entheogens can give you a clear picture of what it is you are working towards ... . Sacred plants augment personal practice ... . ...

p. 153

Setting a controlled surrounding allows our awareness to be released into the strength of the spirit ... . ...

It is entirely possible for someone suitably skilled to resist the mind-altering effects of these plants, but what is proved ... is ...

{The term /skilled/ is hardly applicable : it is generally recognized in Bharatiya traditions that one who hath achieved bodhi (enlightenment/illumination) is no longer susceptible to the usual psychedelic drugs. I am an instance of that myself, not feeling any effect from tobacco nor from cocaine; but is is simply an effect of devotion to deities, and if any "skill" be involved, it must be the skill of the deities themselves, who are ever-praesent.}

self-mastery. ...

{According to Bauddha dars`ana, there is no "self" to be "mastered"; and according to Veda-anta is the atman ('self') is to be understood as a particular instance of universal brahman, which is the supreme beyond any being "mastered".}

There is a more esoteric level to this ingestion ...; the spirit worker who goes forward on this ... helps to

transmute the poison of a culture into a new substance. ...

{"poison of a culture" = capitalism;

"new substance" = communism}

This is usual work found in several parts of spirit work and shamanism ... . It is, so to speak, homeopathy for the world. ...

Working with the spirits of this path ... gives the spirits useful tools to communicate with us. We each have to learn to speak the other's language."

p. 154

"You can take the various mushrooms, which give access to what to our minds are quite different realms, with different creatures {or more like, creators} in them. ... The DMT elves and the Psilocibe guide ...; for us these are real entities that you should check ... . ... Iboga definitely gives access to whole other dimensions, ones that

p. 155

people are usually not ready for. ... The DMT class of plants ... It's full-on visionary, it's {that which} gives access to animal spirits and spirits of ancestors. ... But they tend to reveal the fabric of the nature of things. ... .

... LSD -- ... I was shown what it's like to come through Paraketh, through the Veil there, and had a little death ... .

{"the veil of Paraketh ... separates and blocks ..., and the arrow ... pierces the rainbow veil of Paraketh, allowing the initiate to pass through." (T101)} {"this veil ... marks the limit of the outer order of the Golden Dawn, and the beginning of the adept's progress through the grades of the Rose Cross." (QMP, p. 33)}

... it's not the attainment of that space -- you are being shown a movie of it, basically, even it it's an immersive 3-D movie -- the attainment itself didn't come until ... years later. But having experience with what it looked like, I was able to recognize it when it came. ... . ... with Salvia divinorum ... it takes several times using it to make a breakthrough. ...

p. 156

And it is scary, because Salvia is very invasive. It's frequent to have the experience of vines coming in through your body. You can feel yourself pulled away from -- or ripped out, if you try to resist it -- your physical body. ... Salvia spirit is an ultra-green lady who is often seen tending a garden. Sometimes one experiences oneself as a plant in her garden. She's also got two sides of her face, like Hela, and like the Belladonnas. ... She's very expressive in what she wants you to do. ...

Canna ... potentiates marijuana ... . ...

p. 157

Henbane ... you can get quite a bit of scopolamine out of travel-sickness tablets".

"Brugmansia ... was for me this tall, haughty, ... beautiful female ... .

... Psilocibe was more of a male presence for me, quite jokey ... .

The spirit of Canna was more elusive; it was ... male, ... runs away from you, like he wants to lead you places.

The Marijuana spirit ... I've experienced her as a ... beautiful flitting fey-like entity ..., she's always different. She's aloof, and vexed ... . ...

The Poppy entity ... I've seen both male and female ... almost always has this corona of tendrils growing out of its head, but ... they're more energy that you can see streaming off it, and they reach out to wrap you ..., but a bit too easy to get embraced by."

p. 159

"the red and white fly agaric mushroom (Amanita muscaria) has a long association with elves, fairies, and the Otherworld. ... In the New World, ... firm evidence of fly agaric use is found in the Ojibway tribe ... . ...

p. 160

The eastern Siberian Koryak people credited the deity Vahiyinin with creating the wa>paq spirits who appeared as the fly agaric mushroom; the trickster Big Raven ... allowed them to remain on earth to teach the people what they needed to know. ... Even into the 20th century, fly agaric was still used religiously in Siberian and northern Finland. ...

Votan's horse ... foam ... from his mouth ... grew the red and white mushrooms. Modern German nursery rhymes name ... Glu:ckspilz, the "happiness mushroom." ...

p. 161

Fly agaric ... red cap trimmed with white gills is the red and white hat of Santa Claus, and the reindeer that ate the mushrooms on the Siberian steppes are his flying reindeer ... . Fly agaric grows at the base of pine trees, giving us a Christmas tree where German-made ornaments in the shape of mushrooms can then be hung ... . ...

I first became aware of the fly agaric spirit, the Little Red Man who[m] I call Father Redcap, in a vision I had of my plant allies; they were all shown to me,

the tall ones and small ones,

the ones who were green or brown or rainbow-colored, and

the ones who sang, smiled, or beckoned

p. 162

... . He was there too, distinctive in his red cap, his eyes ... screwed up in a grin. He was diminutive ... . ... The experience was extraordinary. ... My dear Red Man has never left. ... I think this one of his great mysteries : he never leaves. ... He gets into your mind and changes it forever, leaving his footprints on your soul."

p. 163

"While vascular plants are, to my mind, most clearly connected to the power found in the part of the lifecycle that moves ... from birth to death --

mushrooms are the part of the cycle concerned with the movement from death to rebirth. Things are turned on their head, mirrored, or presented inside out relative to this ... cycle. ... Seeing the life cycle from Death's point of view gives an interesting counterpoint to more traditional interpretations. As those who work closely with Hela and Her dead folk can tell you, ... Death has its own pattern to follow before cycling toward life again."

"Father Redcap can be very easygoing and generous with his gifts, but it is only polite to ask him before attempting any work, even when a working relationship has ben established. ...

p. 164

Red Man is tricky, and his warm, funny nature hides a calculating mind that is well acquainted with humanity and our quirks. He charms a person ... into the deeper architecture of the Nine Worlds."

Sources : -

A. J. Ahlber-Venezia " Raven's Bread". IDUNNA 58.

Lars Levi Laestadius : Fragments of Lappish Mythology. 2002.

Dale Pendell : Pharmako Gnosis. 2006.

Solomon H. Snyder : Mushrooms -- Psychedelic Fungi. 1986.